Maybe instead of “Blood vs. Water,” this season of “Survivor” should have been subtitled “Backfire Island.” Between the actual strategic misfires and the signs of bigger ones to come, the second episode of the season made clear that in a game with this many angles, bold moves can easily take bad bounces.

A fan favorite went packing after a three-way duel. A newcomer got a clue to an immunity idol, only to find it created a seed of distrust in his fragile alliance. A weak team ejected a potentially strong player, in a risky gambit. And when Alabama’s Colton Cumbie began stirring the pot, he prompted a formidable group of players to unite against him.

Early in the episode, the tribes made their first voyage to Redemption Island, where three castaways exiled in the premiere had to face off in a duel. Candice Cody got there through no fault of her own, when the veteran Galang tribe voted her out at the very beginning of play. Shaggy, eccentric Rupert Boneham came voluntarily: When the newcomers of the Tadhana tribe voted out his wife, Laura Boneham, he exercised his option to take her place (a unique twist this season). Marissa Peterson arrived by the conventional path: Being voted out in tribal council after Tadhana lost a challenge.

At Redemption Island, she aired her grievances with her uncle, Gervase Peterson. His showboating, after his Galang tribe won that challenge, was what turned her teammates against her, and now she faulted him for rubbing salt in the wound. Unrepentant, he replied: “I’m going to rub some more. I can promise you that.” He passed on the chance to take her place in the looming duel.

The challenge was a tricky stacking game. The third-place finisher would be sent packing. The second-place finisher would remain on Redemption Island. So would the winner, but he or she would get a prize: Deciding which other player would receive the clue to a coveted immunity idol.

Boneham, a popular player appearing in his fourth season of “Survivor,” lost. The outcome shocked him, and many fans. But he left with his head held high. He told host Jeff Probst he had no regrets. “This is a great game and I love ‘Survivor,’” he said. “But I love my wife more.”

Marissa Peterson finished second, despite having her uncle bellowing advice at her during a particularly delicate moment. Candice Cody won and promptly gave the immunity clue to her husband, Tadhana’s John Cody.

Back on the big island, Laura Boneham seemed to be taking her husband’s departure well, and to be bonding with the veteran players of Galang. But Cumbie was seething at the tribe’s mellow, seemingly noncompetitive vibe. “I feel like I’m in middle school again,” he fumed. “Do you think this is like a YMCA camping trip? Where we talk about how we want to improve ourselves? You know what? I want to improve myself by winning a million dollars.”

I almost forgot how much Colton bugs me…and then he talked again. #survivor

He went on the offensive, putting out feelers – and putting some players on the spot – in an attempt to up the paranoia factor. “Hopefully this camp will erupt into chaos,” he mused. “Because if there’s one thing I know, I can rule in chaos.”

That approach worked pretty well for him in “Survivor: One World,” a year and a half ago. But this time around, he was surrounded by veterans. Aras Baskauskas, who won a previous season, quickly labeled him a bully, and compared him to one of the show’s best-known villains. “He’s a gay Russell Hantz,” Baskauskas said, to the great amusement of some Twitter users -- and the indignation of Hantz himself.

Haha,Aras is right...Colton is a gay Russell Hantz. People don't like players like that. #Survivor

The upshot: An alliance between Baskauskas, Tyson Apostol, Gervase Peterson, Monica Culpepper and Tina Wesson. All are savvy players, and like Aras Baskauskas, Wesson is a past winner. This union was a distinctly unhealthy development for Cumbie, but he would only be in immediate jeopardy if his tribe lost the night’s immunity challenge.

Colton ya hear that clock ticking? That would be the end for you! #Survivor

In a nutshell, they didn’t. That meant the rookies at Tadhana would have to kick out another of their own. In the premiere, NFL veteran Brad Culpepper had spearheaded an alliance of the tribe’s five men, so the outlook was sketchy for the remaining three Tadhana women.

Rachel Foulger wasn’t the weakest of the three. But Vytas Baskausas, brother to veteran Aras, pitched a ploy: If they voted out Foulger, then it became likely that her boyfriend, Apostol, would take her place on Redemption Island. That would significantly weaken Galang, so Tadhana’s odds of winning an immunity challenge might improve.

The motion carried. But John Cody, to his apparent surprise, also got a couple of votes at tribal council. For one thing, he’d decided to keep the immunity clue to himself. For another, he was reluctant to vote against Foulger. He didn’t like the idea of his wife having to face Apostol in a Redemption Island duel, but that point didn’t necessarily come across to his teammates, some of whom began to doubt his commitment to their alliance.

John was so worried about Candice having to go against Tyson, he forgot to worry about her maybe having to go against him. #Survivor

Next week brings another duel. A preview glimpse indicated that Apostol will, indeed, step in for his girlfriend, meaning Foulger will escape Redemption Island and switch to the Galang tribe, as Laura Boneham did when her husband took her place.

Another glimpse indicated that Cumbie will keep the drama level high. “Will Colton finally crumble?” Probst asked in a voiceover. In the preview clip, Probst could be seen asking Cumbie, “Are you quitting this game?” And Cumbie could be seen breaking ranks to cling to fellow Alabamian Caleb Bankston, his fiancée.

Whoa, whoa. Colton might quit? Please yes. Otherwise, the plan to get Tyson out may backfire if he gets back in. #Survivor

Cumbie’s fate most likely comes down to Tadhana. With two losses and a fragile majority, the rookie tribe has its back against the wall. If it keeps losing, Galang won’t have to go to tribal council, and even its least popular player will be safe. Probst underscored the situation in his parting words to Tadhana: “The good news is, you’re only six days into this game. But you’ve got to win the next challenge.”

the layers of complexity added by family members being on opposite tribes plus redemption island is superb. well done, #survivor